Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Squirmy Baby Diaper Changes

My daughter was possibly the squirmiest baby ever and trying to change her diaper in the beginning proved to be a difficult task! The older she got the worse it got, and I was really thankful to get to the potty training stage. I had to get creative, fast, in order to get a diaper on her without her taking off or wiggling away! Here are a few of the solutions I came up with. 
When she was little I tried to change her in her crib where the mobile was there to keep her occupied. Most of the time it was a long enough distraction to get her changed and I would finish just in time for her to start squirming again. If I couldn't change her diaper in her crib, then I would give her a toy to play with or a plastic bottle, (for some reason plastic bottles are the best thing ever for babies!) and get the job done. I also had this little mirror that had plastic around it, and she would love to look at herself while I was changing her, so for a while I gave her that to play with. Eventually I started changing her in front of our long mirror in the hall so she could "talk" to herself while I was busy.
As she got older it wasn't so easy to amuse her anymore! I started every diaper change by counting her "piggies" and we would sing while I was changing her. It kept her occupied long enough. Eventually, we would take the singing to the toilet as she started potty training! Changing during commercials proved to work for us, as commercials always have kept my daughter's interest. Having a brother or sister there to talk to your baby while changing them is a great idea, when I had my son my daughter kept him occupied and I didn't have to worry about anything!
Huggies has recently introduced Little Movers Slip-on Diapers, and I so wish they would have came out when I was changing diapers all the time! They would have been a life saver on nights that I was running on 2 hours sleep. These will certainly come in handy for new moms!
Obviously, every baby is different but I would say that practice makes perfect and that goes for dads too! Always enlist dads help in the diaper changing process. you both could be changing diapers in a matter of seconds instead of making it a 20 minute struggle for one parent. If all else fails, remember that they are only young once and to savor every moment... even the messy ones!


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Huggies blogging program, for a gift card worth $35. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Monday, August 8, 2011

10 Healthy Tips for Back-to-school

Back to school is almost here and we are all ready around my house! My kids have been so bored these last few weeks, and my daughter is itching to go back to school. We have started our back to school routine already and are definitely looking forward to school starting. Today though, Social Moms and Transitions Lenses would like to hear 10 healthy tips to get your kids ready for back-to-school. Here are mine:


1. My first tip would be to keep reading to your kids or having them read right after school gets out, it keeps them in the habit of learning and keeps their mind fresh for back to school! My daughter loves reading time, as it's a part of our everyday routine. 


2. Get your check up's done! Kids are constantly changing and may develop eye problems over the summer, be sure to get them checked out in plenty of time for school. I got used to wearing glasses over the summer when I was a kid, and it helped out a ton!


3. Early to bed! Start putting kiddos to bed early like you would for school. During the summer my daughter stays up really late so we have already started putting her to bed at 8 every night so she can get into the routine of waking up early. 


4. Stock up on healthy snacks. I like to make sure we have plenty of carrots, celery, apples and oranges on hand so when the kids want a snack they grab something healthy instead of full of sugar. It keeps them healthy and full!


5. Go over the basics. School can be a very dirty place! Make sure your kids know how to thoroughly wash their hands and when to wash their hands. Flu season is right around the corner and teaching them to wash their hands definitely helps! 


6. Make sure you send their meds to school, before the first day. The first day is often hectic, so it's a great idea to drop of medicene when you meet the teachers. 


7. Stock up on meds! Like I said flu season is right around the corner, make sure you have plenty of meds for the little ones in your medicine cabinet! We are always running out around here, so when I find them on sale I have started stocking up!


8. Buy the right clothes. Fall and winter are coming soon and while it's fun to buy shorts for back to school, look for jeans and sweaters as well. Be prepared with an umbrella or rain boots when the time comes! 


9. Talk to the teachers! Be sure to let your childs' teacher know what health issues your child has. Even if the nurse already knows, it's a good idea to let the teacher know too, so they know what to look out for. 


10. Send healthy lunches to school. A good lunch can make or break a good day at school, make sure they have plenty healthy options to choose from in their lunch box!


Well these are my ten tips, I hope they help someone! I'm hoping my daughter has a great year at school, and I can't wait to start getting those cute things she makes! Thanks for reading!


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Transitions Lenses blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here